County attorney relaxes as blacksmith

George Monsson makes jewelry, and other bronze or iron pieces

When Morgan County Attorney George Monsson goes home and sheds his identity as a lawyer, he enjoys picking up the tools of the blacksmith.

"I work with words and paper all day," Monsson said, and it is a good psychological relief to make something tangible that he made himself.

"This did not exist until I made it," Monsson said.

He first picked up the hobby in 1978 -- when he was living in Riverton, Wyo., and working as a geologist -- when he bought a forge and an anvil at an auction, he said. He checked books at the library and began banging away at the task.

Today, he's fine-tuned his art, making things which seem delicate for a blacksmith.

Dan Barker Fort Morgan Times An iron rose is made by George Monsson by adding shaped layers of sheet metal.

Among the items he makes to sell at various craft fairs are penannular brooches, and the name describes the brooches. They almost make a circle, Monsson said.

Penannular brooches were popular from before the time of Christ through the Middle Ages, and he makes them of bronze and steel, he said.

He also makes candleholders with aspen and oak leaf motifs, and constructed a multi-candle holder with a Viking ship theme.

Monsson also makes pendants, which are in the shape of rings, including rune charms and symbolic Thor's hammers, much like those medieval people might have worn.

He constructs "poesy" pendants with romantic, poetic themes.

One says, "Thou art my joy," and another was modeled on a 15th century French ring.

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One runic ring says "fagr," which means "beautiful," Monsson said.

Another has the motto "Yo no tengo," which translates as "I have nothing more than you," he said.

The idea for that one was a ring from a shipwreck off the west coast of Ireland, and the ship was part of the Spanish Armada, Monsson said.

Other pendants have Christian sayings, such as "Christus lux mea," which means "Christ is my light.

Dan Barker Fort Morgan Times A swage block helps George Monsson shape his blacksmith work just so, and this item will become an iron rose.

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Monsson is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization devoted to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th century Europe, which may explain the historic themes of his pieces.

Her also makes torques, which are historic necklaces which circle around, don't quite meet in front and curve back out. They are crafted out of bronze and iron.

However, not all of his work is in jewelry, and he is somewhat surprised that he has come to make such fine art kind of work, Monsson said.

He also makes and sells knives made out of old railroad or mine spikes, and his home holds an iron lampstand.

One of his signature pieces is the iron rose.

He starts with sheet metal which has been cut into blanks and forges a layer of rose petals. He then adds more layers and folds them over to produce a realistic looking rose.

He has a forge in his workshop which uses baked coal called coke, which makes it largely smoke-free, Monsson said.

The forge is aerated by a crank blower, which takes the place of the old bellows blacksmiths once used, he said. When this innovation was invented, some blacksmiths had the blower altered to allow it to be pumped instead of cranked, because they were so used to the pumping action.

This is the kind of setup used before World War I, and he has a 220-pound anvil to work the hot metal on, he said.

Dan Barker Fort Morgan Times An array of jewelry was made by George Monsson. These pieces include small hammers in honor of the Norse god Thor, runic pieces, Christian poesy pendants and knives made from railroad spikes. They will be on sale at the Wiggins Christmas Craft Fair Dec. 11.

Among his tools is a vise grip, which was actually invented in 1910 by a blacksmith who grew tired of dropping hot iron on his feet, Monsson said.

When he wants to give a metal piece a specific curve, he can put a swage block on the anvil. A swage block is made of steel and has large and small curved depressions in it, he said.

If he wants to have a little more power to shape a piece, he can use his 45-pound treadle hammer, which has a straight steel hammer connected to levers which allow him to use his leg power to shape the metal, Monsson said. This also allows him to use both hands while hammering something.

Along his work bench lay a series of tools which may look like funny hammers, but actually have very specific functions such as cutting a piece of metal or punching holes, he said.

Dan Barker Fort Morgan Times A candelabra in the shape of a Viking ship is an example of George Monsson s work.

Monsson has huge metal shear, which operates with a long lever to cut through relatively thick metal.

A post vise is set up as a straight line to the floor, which allows him to hammer an object and keep it stable, he said. The force of the blows is carried into the floor, which keeps the vise from shaking.

The post vise has been around since the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance, Monsson said.

Blacksmiths must take care in their art, he said.

His forge gets close to 3,000 degrees, which is enough to weld metal, and can actually burn steel, Monsson said.

He also has a Sandia forge, which runs on propane, he said. That particular device requires care to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning when all the oxygen is used up in an enclosed space.

Monsson has personal experience with that, because he worked at a steel mill in East Chicago, Ind., in the summers after high school. He once got a headache and ache in the back of his neck and the foreman ordered him outside, since those were warning signs of carbon monoxide effects, he said.